August 2014 - Rum in the News

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August 2014 - Rum in the News

These are the most recent and noteworthy headlines in the rum industry. If you want us to share your news with our readers, please send an email to Mike@gotrum.com. Mike Kunetka is a  land-locked rum enthusiast, he is based in Colorado, USA.

RUMS OF BARBADOS

The Barbados Investment & Development Corporation (BIDC) is embarking on a multifaceted project to distinguish Barbados’ rum above all others. Details of the Rums of Barbados Expansion Program were recently announced during a stakeholder consultation which sought to uncover solutions to the many challenges confronting the rum industry. The project, according to BIDC’s Manager of Export Promotion, Paul Waithe, is intended to enhance the competitiveness and profitability of Barbados rum producers by assisting in the transition from the export of bulk rum to the export of high quality, high-value branded rums. It will see the application of a Geographical Indicator (GI) and the development of a marque for Barbados’ rums, which is to be used as a differentiating tool in the marketing of our local brands. It will also see the roll out of an integrated marketing communication strategy locally, regionally and internationally, intended to position Barbados as the premier rum producer in the world. Barbados currently exports the majority of its rum production in bulk quantities at a fraction of the price of the exported, branded/bottled rums. It is felt therefore that the island stands to benefit significantly more from the export of branded rum. The success of the project will however require the support of all industry stakeholders as well as increased collaboration across the manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectors. The first phase of the program was recently completed when officials installed the official Rums of Barbados seal on three rum shops as they traveled to Pug’s Bar in Charnocks, Christ Church; Island Pot in Government Hill, St Michael; and Paul’s Place, Halls Village #2, St James. “ It’s a way of helping to stimulate economic development and increase sales and that can only happen if we make it known and remind Barbadians of what a wonderful product we have,” said Minister of Industry, International Business, and Commerce, Donville Inniss.

PUSSER’S RUM

Pusser’s will now offer a 40% ABV version of its Blue Label Rum for sale in US Naval bases and Mess bars. The standard Blue Label version in the United States, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands will still be offered at 42%. Look for a new “Gunpowder Proof” Black Label, coming in at 54.5% and an “Overproof ” Green label, possibly at 75%! Also in the works is a Pusser’s Spiced Rum, a 35% ABV blend of rums steeped in ginger, citrus, vanilla, cinnamon, anise and other spices for seven days.

CAPTAIN MORGAN

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK upheld a complaint filed by the Youth Alcohol Advertising Council (YAAC) claiming that a picture posted on Captain Morgan’s Facebook page was “irresponsible because it implied alcohol could overcome boredom”. With a headline that read “Wednesday, I’m declaring war on midweek boredom”, the artwork showed the Captain raising a glass and cheering. The ASA said that it interpreted the post as suggesting viewers could alleviate mid-week boredom and change their moods by drinking Captain Morgan rum, thus breaching its advertising code. Last February the ASA ruled to pull a television advertisement for Captain Morgan rum which it claimed “ linked alcohol with aggressive behavior”.

BACARDI

The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency(CINDE) and the Foreign Trade Ministry on Tuesday confirmed that rum manufacturer Bacardi will open a Latin American Service Center in Costa Rica on Sept. 1. The facilities will offer technical, financial and professional services to the company’s operations in the region and will be located in Escazú, southwest of San José. The Service Center will be managed by Bacardi Corporate Solutions SA, a subsidiary of Bacardi Limited, based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

As part of its Sustainable Future Initiative, Bacardi has focused on its packaging. Just as the making of rum is an exacting science, so is the crafting of every bottle bearing the iconic bat logo. Bottles for each distinctive brand are highly engineered – crafted for beauty and environmental efficiency. One example is the bottle for BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails. Through careful, creative redesign, it now weighs 30% less than it did just a few years ago. That makes shipping more streamlined, resulting in lower CO2 emissions.

FLOR DE CAÑA

Flor de Caña will introduce a white sipping rum, Blanco Reserva 7 in duty-free outlets in Mexico and Central America. The super-premium variant, aged for seven years, will feature the same packaging redesign introduced last summer on their other rums. “Flor de Caña’s new Blanco Reserva 7 will expand our consumer base by offering a super-premium white rum that provides a richer drinking experience,” said Robert Collins, managing director of Flor de Caña.

PENNY BLUE XO RUM

In May, I mentioned this rum, named after a famous, rare postage stamp. Following the success of the first batch, Penny Blue Batch 2 is now being released. A limited edition of only 7,000 bottles will be offered. This version is a blend of rums aged in Cognac, Scotch and Bourbon barrels for five to eleven years and bottled at 43.2% ABV.

DUPPY SHARE RUM

Caribbean folklore has its own twist on the “Angels Share”, the portion of rum that evaporates from the aging barrels. There are tales of dark spirits called ‘duppies’ that travel from distillery to distillery, stealing rum. This explains the name Duppy Share, a blend of three-year-old Jamaican rum and five-year-old Barbados rum which has been aged in Bourbon barrels and then bottled in London at 40% ABV. It has been launched by the Westbourne Drinks Company and is only available at Selfridges in England.

BRUGAL RUM

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina met recently with Ian Curle, CEO of the Scottish spirits band Edrington, the group that in 2008 bought a 60% stake in Brugal. In his first meeting with the Dominican leader, Curle lauded the President’s efforts to maintain a good and stable business climate and level playing field for foreign investment, which could be expanded in the near future. Medina and Curle agreed that having a 126 year-old brand such as Brugal in the global market provides benefits and opportunities for the country. Curle affirmed that Edrington has already placed Brugal in more than 40 countries on five continents and has invested almost $37 million in improving technologies at its operations in the Dominican Republic since the 2008 acquisition. The two were joined at the meeting by Brugal CEO Augusto Ramirez and Graham Hutcheon, President of the Board of Directors of Brugal and the company’s Director of Communications, Luis Concepcion.

LA HECHICERA RUM

In his book, Rum, Romance & Rebellion, Charles William Taussig, who was president of the American Molasses Company – and an adviser to US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote “Where we find rum, we find action, sometimes cruel, sometimes heroic”. Colombia has certainly seen both. But despite having one of the longest Caribbean coasts and being home to Cartagena, a port linked to rum-drinking navigators of all trades, good rum was never associated with Colombia – until now.  La Hechicera, or the enchantress, founded and run by siblings Laura and Miguel Riascos De Castro, together with designer Martamaría Carrillo, boasts the only privately produced, aged and bottled premium rum in Colombia.

“This is the first quality premium Colombian rum in the world,” says Miguel Riascos, “so we are basically defining what Colombian rum is, which is a big challenge, but I think we are up to the task.” To create the drink, Cuban-Japanese Maestro Ronero, or rum master, Giraldo Mituoka Kagana, blends 12- to 21-year-old rums matured in American white oak casks in the coastal city of Barranquilla. The product was first launched in London a little over a year ago – where it is currently available in hotels such as the Dorchester and The Ritz – and then brought home to native Bogotá late last year.